


I may have read a book or two

by asamandra



Category: Marvel, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: M/M, Mathematics, Prompt Fill, Smart Clint Barton, The others don't, Thor Knows, slight bullying
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-25
Updated: 2013-09-25
Packaged: 2017-12-27 14:46:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/980143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asamandra/pseuds/asamandra
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bruce and Tony quarrel over a mathematical problem and that annoys Clint who wants to watch his show...</p>
            </blockquote>





	I may have read a book or two

**Author's Note:**

> This prompt on avengerkink: [Clint/Steve or Clint/Tony, Clint is deceptively smart (possible bullying)](http://avengerkink.livejournal.com/17385.html?thread=38634473#t38634473)
> 
> Clint isn't just a sniper, he's a spy. And we all remember how Natasha used the "women are weak" stereotype to trick Loki into telling her his plans. So Clint is much the same, except he pretends he's under-educated. It's not hard, since he ran off to the circus at age 12, but the truth is that Clint loved math and used to steal math textbooks from libraries and teach trig and calculus to himself. And sometimes when he was in the library, the librarians would come by and think he was a local student and point out the summer reading books, so he'd take a look at those too.
> 
> Essentially, Clint didn't have a standard education, but he's still decently well-read and he's VERY good at math. He just doesn't show it because no one expects a middle-school dropout to be a math prodigy.
> 
> The rest of the Avengers (including Natasha) discuss things like literature and science and kind of tease Clint for not being able to join in. He shrugs it off because he knows he's smart and that's all that matters, but one day they're talking about something and they've got it all completely wrong and Clint just snaps and corrects them (all my love if it's a math/science thing, but I know many of us writers aren't great at that so if it's like a literary symbolism thing or whatever that's fine). Then he comes clean about educating himself.
> 
> Different pairings are okay, I just feel like we need more Clint/Tony (and OP loves Clint/Steve too).  
> No dyslexic Clint please. Just because he didn't get a high school education doesn't mean he has learning disabilities.  
> Math prodigy Clint all the way. Clearly he knows math and physics well enough to hit his targets perfectly. It's not just physical skill.  
> Note: OP is an engineering student and will gladly help you out on any questions you have regarding math/physics.
> 
> Sorry for the long prompt, but I was thinking of writing this before and just haven't been able to.

It was an evening like so many others. The team was scattered around the living room, Clint, who leaned against Tony's shoulder, was watching one of his shitty reality shows, Natasha and Steve played chess and were discussing some paintings, Thor was snoring loudly and Bruce and Tony quarreled over something that went wrong with their last experiment because apparently something with the numbers was wrong. Clint sighed audible when their fight increased and they got louder and louder. Bruce looked over the rim of his glasses at him.

“I try to watch this,” he just said and stared back.

“Oh, I'm sorry that our unimportant sciency stuff is too disturbing while you're watching high-class television.” Tony glared down at his lover who once again sighed audible. 

“Maybe you should stop talking about math and start talking about... I don't know... whatever this is... so he can follow you.” Natasha mocked and grinned at Tony. Clint just tilted his head but kept quiet. 

And soon after the two of them were back with their mathematical problem but now Clint listened to them more than to his show and he couldn't repress a slight giggle.

“You think this is funny?” Tony slapped the back of his head teasingly and Clint nodded grinning.

“Absolutely.” And before Tony or Bruce could react Clint had snatched the StarkPad they were fussing about, stared at the screen and then lifted one brow.

“Really? That's your problem?” He said and shook his head. And now Steve and Natasha stopped as well and looked at him. 

He sighed again and started to type on the Pad.

“Stop, you can't...” Bruce started but a glare from Clint stopped him and Tony immediately. 

“What are you doing?” Tony asked and sounded worried but when he looked over his shoulder he shut his mouth and frowned. 

“Tony?” Bruce asked and the self-proclaimed genius raised his hand.

“Wait, wait, wait. I want to see this,” he said.

“Here. And now be quiet.” After a few minutes Clint handed him the Pad and leaned himself back on Tony's shoulder to go on with his show. Tony looked at the Pad disbelievingly and Bruce rose and stared over his shoulder.

“But...” Bruce finally started, then he shut his mouth and looked at Tony. “But that's correct.”

“What happened here?” Tony asked and shut off the TV.

“Hey, I wanted to see this!” Clint yelped. 

“I don't care. Would you please explain to me...” Tony said but Clint interrupted him.

“Your problem wasn't the Fourier coefficients, goddammit. Your mistake was in the very basics of mathematics, Tony, simple basics! And even a monkey with a mandolin could've solved this. Now give me the damn remote, I want to see this.” Clint finally snapped. 

“What do _you_ know about Fourier coefficients?” Bruce said and removed his glasses to clean them. He even managed to sound not too insulting.

“Please,” Clint snorted, “everyone who ever touched classical harmonic analysis has to trip over them. Give me the remote.” 

Tony rose and Clint slipped down on the couch without his living cushion to lean on. 

“Explain yourself. Now.” He demanded and tapped his fingers on his arm. Clint groaned and buried his face in a cushion. Tony reached down and took the cushion away and glared at him as well as Steve, Natasha and Bruce. Thor still snored.

“I like math?” Clint tried. 

“Yeah? Steven here likes math, too but he doesn't even know the difference between a linear and a nonlinear differential equation.” 

“Hey!” Steve protested. Bruce turned to him and asked, “Do you?” 

“Uhm... no.” 

“So... explanation. I'm waiting.” Tony glared down at Clint who still laid on the couch.

“Linear differential equations are differential equations that have homogeneous solutions that can be...” he mumbled and Tony squinted his eyes.

“Not _that!_ About why you _know_ this!”

“Oh, that. Yeah, well... I may have read a book or two.” He said and now Bruce broke out in sort of a uncontrolled laugh. 

“A book or two? Jesus, Clint! You solved this equation in a few minutes! We try to get it solved since two days!” 

“Maybe you just needed someone who didn't stare at it for days?” He tried again.

“Okay, where did you read that book or the other one?” Clint finally sat up, crossed his legs and looked at Tony.

“I came around a lot. And sometimes it happened that one or the other book didn't go back to the libraries,” he shrugged.

“You went to libraries to read books about math?” Natasha looked puzzled. “But you left school with twelve!” 

“Yes, but like I said, I like math. And so I started to go to libraries and taught myself. Sometimes the librarians, when I was older, thought I was a student and pointed out the summer reading books... which I read.”

“Why didn't you say anything?” Tony huffed now and sat down at the coffee table to look at his lover and he stared at him as if he would see him for the first time. 

“It never became topic.” Clint just shrugged. 

“You let us believe you are dumb? Intentionally?” Natasha asked and furrowed her brows.

“Well, you use the 'women are weak' stereotype and I the 'middle-school dropouts are dumb' one. Come on, you can't tell me you all believed that I'm this good as sniper because I have good eyes and a steady hand? It needs a fucking lot of math and physics, guys. Stop looking at me like that.” They all stared now at him. Except Thor. He still slept soundly. 

“So, you only know math?” Steve asked now and looked carefully at the archer. 

“Well, I may have read a few other books as well.” 

“Other books.” Natasha glared and Tony still sat on the coffee table, wondering what happened here. 

“Yeah. Uhm... Beckett or Brecht or Poe, Joyce, Kafka, Lovecraft... and a few others.” 

“Clint! The fuck! Why didn't you tell us?” Bruce said and seemed totally confused. 

“I never thought it mattered.” Clint just shrugged.

Suddenly he found himself in a tight embrace and Tony's lips on his and as soon as he could breath again Tony already dragged him out of the room.

“Hey, but I wanted to see...” Clint tried but Tony cut him off.

“Fuck this show!”

“But...” 

“We're going to my lab!” 

“But...” 

“We're doing math!” 

“But...

“And then I fuck you through every available surface!”

“But... okay.” They heard a door slam and then it was quiet. That moment Thor opened his eyes, yawned and looked at his teammates who stared at the space Tony and Clint had been a few seconds ago. 

“Did I miss something?” He asked and lifted a brow.

“Only that we just discovered that Clint is secretly a math wunderkind.” Bruce mumbled. 

“Oh, that. Yes. That's true. He really is. Or did you think he's this good with his bow just because of his good eyes and his steady hand?”

**Author's Note:**

> [asamandra on tumblr](http://asamandra.tumblr.com/)


End file.
